Pakistani Taliban militants attacked a post in Kurram district, killing six soldiers. The border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan is seeing an increase in violence.
Militants from the Pakistani Taliban (Tehrik Taliban Pakistan – TTP) attacked a checkpoint in the northwestern region bordering Afghanistan on Monday, killing six soldiers, a government official said on Tuesday. Another four people were injured, according to TASR, according to a report by the AFP agency.
More than ten armed men attacked a checkpoint in Kurram district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province late on Monday. The TTP claimed responsibility for the incident and the attack escalated into an intense firefight.
Attacks on soldiers
“Six security forces were killed and four were injured. Two militants also lost their lives during the fighting,” a Pakistani government official based in Kurram district confirmed anonymously.
Since the return of the Taliban to power in neighboring Afghanistan in 2021, Pakistan has seen an increase in violence in border regions where the TTP regularly attacks. Islamabad accuses its western neighbor of allowing its territory to be used for attacks against Pakistan. The Taliban denies such accusations.
The context of the ceasefire and tensions
The border between the two countries has been closed since the October rains. However, Pakistan announced last week that it would soon allow the passage of United Nations (UN) humanitarian aid to Afghanistan.
Afghanistan and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire brokered by Qatar after border clashes on October 19. Tensions between the neighboring states escalated after two explosions in Kabul in the first half of October and other explosions outside the capital. Afghan officials blamed Pakistan for the blasts, which it denied.
